Sound-record tablet and method eor producing same



., v. H. EMERSON.-

SOUN'D RECORD TABLET AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME. APILICATIDN HLED MAY 10. :915.

. 1,341,740, Patented June 1,1920.

SECOND STEP beintrodwced) dad add earthy material of Provide disc blank of thin flexible 8h eat, F1881 an? preferably afagelatinous material, or on celluloid.

Prep ave a solution of shellac in alcohol (into whisky a small portion of acetone mdy required hardness, such as ailicon, Daryl: as

or a similar clay- Apply shellac solut ion as a surface coatrnmn STEP ing to the desired depth upon the flexiblen disc and permit to dry.

Heat coaied disc to a semi-plastic W state; then press raised matvix die into the surface thereof.

' gnve'nfoz Victor'H- Em erson UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR HUGO EMERSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB TO EMERSON PHONOGRAPH 00., INCL, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SOUND-RECORD TABLET AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1920.

Application filed May 10, 1916. Serial No. 96,490.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it lmown that I, Vroron I-Iueo EMER- soN a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Imrovements in Sound-Record Tablets and ethocls for Producing Same, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawin s forming a part of the same.

y invention relates tosound records and methqds of producingthe same, and has for an ob ect to improve articles of the class described as to their size, durabilityand other advantageous qualities, and also to improve the process of making records thereby, while reducing the cost of production thereof.

In the development of the art of making sound records, various methods have been resorted to, among which for example is the forming of the records wholly from homogeneous plastic material. Other processes have been evolved for a like purpose, wherein the laminated form of record construction is employed, with the result that 'diiliculties have been encountered in working those processes which need not be recited here, but which have largely detracted from the efiiciency and econom of that form of construction. Still ot or methods have been used whereby coatings of so-called record materials have been applied to basesof nonplastic, non-record material, and while some of these last named processes have seemed to succeed somewhat in cheapening the cost they have not produced records of goo character. It is necessary that a substantial thickness of the record he of record material; and where a base of non-record material is used, good records are diflicult to produce. \Vith most of these compos1te records the construction has been such as to give an article of brittle character often readily splitting and chipping even with the most careful handling.

To overcome these objections, I have discovered and developed a method whereby a superior form of record may be easily and cheaply produced, an'important feature of which consists in the employment of a base that is itselfof record material and embodies to a large degree the plastic properties indispensable in forming commercial sound records. Upon this base I plant a layer in integral combination therewith of a record material also possessed of plastic properties, with the added qualit 1 of providing a hard, durable surface, there y producing a record result'which is entirely new in the art.

The drawing is a dia rammatic showing of the steps and their or or.

In its broad interpretation my improved process may be described as employing a foundation or base of record material with a thin layer thereon of record material having ingredients differing from the characteristic elements of the base. These two la ers I unite firmly and integrally. I usual y employ a thcrmo-plastic base into the surface of which the undulating groove may be impressed, yet incorporatin into the surface thus indented to the full depth of the record groove those materials the properties of which reinforce and otherwise augment the wearing and rqgroducin qualities of the materials constituting the base, so called.

F or my purposes I find that such colloidal, flexible, non-fracturing materials as celluloid and gelatin are especially adapted for my base layer of record material; these materials being ductile, pliable, light in weight and possessing the required degree of toughness. All of the fore oing properties are highly conducive to t e production of a serviceable record, not only on account of the sound reproducing qualifications of the celluloid and of a properly prepared gelatinous base, which is of course an important reason for their selection, but also for an inherent capacity possessed by similar substances to withstand the wear and tear incident to the repeated handlin s attending the use to w ich sound recorc s are subjected.

The celluloid when employed as a base in forming my record of the disk t pe, may be used as a very thin sheet to lie at upon the rotatable table of the sound reproducing mechanism.

The foregoing properties, however, althou h thus advantageously combined in colluloi for example, and in gelatin for the purpose outlined, and while important as pointed out, yet do not suppl the indispensable characteristics of the material necessary to the making of a highly perfected phonographic record of my invention. First, it is to be noted that the celluloid and gelatin in themselves possess the thermomaking.

Secondly, celluloid and gelatin possess the property of uniting with certain reinforcing materials, when properly treated, a method for this purpose to be hereinafter more particularly disclosed, with the result that a permanent combination is effected between the materials constituting the base on one hand and the coating of record materials on the other.

Thirdly, both celluloid and gelatin share with shellac the glazing property for which shellac is now almost invariably employed in one form and anotheas the essential ingredient of record materials supplying the hard, unctuous property technically known as the glaze.

W hile my improved process as pointed out may be employed in connection with base sheet of different materials, the celluloid and gelatin bases having been preferably mentioned, it has been deemed suilicicnt if the detailed steps thereof be illustrated with reference to celluloid alone, it being understood that other suitable material may be substituted with like effect, and that it is my desire to have broad protection for my process irrespective of the base material employed in the production of records thereby.

Thus, preferably employing celluloid as the base of the product of my improved method, I form a solution of shellac and other elements, to be described presently, in alcohol to which a portion of acetone may be added advantageously in order to accelerate the union of the shellac and other elements constituting the record material, with the base material. Thus by the addition of a coin aratively small portion of acetone, the alcoliol solution containing shellac and other ingredients are brought more rapidly and intimately into physical and integral con tact with the base of suitable material. While the presence of the acetone is thus found most beneficial, I wish to point out in this connection that I do not deem that particular solvent indispensable although highly conducive to the production of a sound record in accordance with my process, which comprises in its essential. features the herein described method of dissolving a record material or glaze and applying the dissolved ingredients to a plastic base having record producing properties, such as celluloid, gelatin and like materials.

To complete this step of my process I add to the solution thus to be obtained before applying it to the celluloid base, an earthy element such as silica, barytes and a clay of similarly known qualities of hardness, and to those may be added a pigment, for which purpose I find lamp black most satisfactory.

The solution having been thus formed is applied as a thin coat to the surface of a thin sheet of celluloid which has been suitably formed to make a record tablet. The material in solution may be spread upon the celluloid by means of a brush, or by dipping, pouring or in any convenient way known to artisans familiar with-the art to which my invention relates.

The layer of record material thus spread upon the celluloid base is not necessarily built up to a given depth, as is required in making records wherein the coating performs the entire function of providing a record medium. In the record which is the product of the present invention, the celluloid base itself being adapted to receive the record groove, as noted above, only requires a sufficient quantity of the 'coatin material to give the surface of the celluloid the required reproducing qualities thereto. However, while this is an important advantage of my improvement, it is obvious that a record produced by my process may have the coating added to a considerable thickness, even to the extent of containing the sound record groove in its entirety, yet, althourh not a preferable construction, would broac ly be within the scope of my invention.

The final step in my process is to convert the blank formed in the manner described. into a sound record, which is accomplished by heating the blank until it becomes sufficiently lictile to receive and retain the imprint in the coated surface thereof, of a rerord groove formed therein in the usual n1anner by means of a properly prepared the containing in relief the record of the sounds to be reproduced thereby.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a sound record having a base of flexible, colloidal material; a record material containing shellac and earthy materials integrally united to the surface of said base; and a sound record groove impressed into said material and said base.

2. As an article of manufacture, a disk sound record comprising a thin sheet of celluloid having upon its surface a thin coating of record material and a sound record groove in the coated surface thereof.

3. The method of producing sound records which consists of applying a thin coat of a solution of shellac and earthy material to the surface of a celluloid record blank.

d. The method of producing sound records which consists of first preparing a record blank composed of celluloid forming a solution of shellac and an earthy material in alcohol and acetone and applying the solution slightly heated to the surface of the celluloid record blank to unite the celluloid and earthy material of the solution integrally with the celluloid.

5. The method of producing sound records which consists of forming a solution of shellac and an earthy material in a solvent such as alcohol or acetone and. applying the same to a celluloid record blank, thereupon allowing the solvent to evaporate, and afterward in printin on the surface thereof by means of e suitahle die a sound record.

6. As an article of manufacture, a sound record having a thin fweing layer of record material containing earthy material and a,

10 more flexible backing layer consisting of colloiclel material possessing record-producing properties.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VICTOR HUGO EMERSON.

Witnesses MAx B. MARKS, ALFRED H. BRUNDAGE. 

